03.04.2019 – Ocean’s 11
April 15, 2019
08.04.2019 – What is this?
April 17, 2019
The ocean was surprisingly calm today despite the bad weather forecast so our team embarked on the usual mission to find cetaceans. In the morning our spotter lead us to an enormous group of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), that were unanimously swimming towards the West of the island. The presence of several Cory’s shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) accompanying the dolphins allowed us to presume that the animals were hunting. Despite being busy with their swift pursuit, the commons never disappoint with their charm. We were approached by several sub-groups of curious dolphins who playfully leapt alongside both our boats and rode the waves at our bow. Guests on all tours also managed to enjoy sightings with Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) who unfortunately seemed less interested in our boats today and were more preoccupied with hunting and socializing.
One thing’s for sure; all moments at sea were captured by cameras of all shapes and sizes today. The close approach of the commons this morning allowed both crew and guests aboard the Stenella to get some nice underwater footage and our crew on the Ribeira Brava managed to take some nice pictures at the surface with our large camera. Usually our camera is the largest on board but during our afternoon tour aboard the Ribeira Brava, the D3 definitely had some competition with the guide sandwiched between several other photographers boasting large objectives, perfect for close-ups during whale-watching. What a sight that must have been for the Bottlenose dolphins that peeked up at us paparazzos on board!
If any of our guests feel like sending photos, particularly those with identification features of animals, these are most welcome and appreciated by both our team and local biologists. We are happy to snap photos alongside our guests and even happier if these photos are put to good use by scientists!
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins
14:30 Bottlenose dolphins
Stenella
10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins
